:: Dhivehi Observer :: Peoples Press ::

Gayyoom to bribe Parliament Members 'everyone will get an official car like Ministers'

Mariyam Mohamed, Male', 2^nd October 2004

Gayyoom is planning to give each Member of the Parliament an official car like the ministers and others who he approves of.

Male' Atoll Member Don Adam Fulhu is expected to propose this in the Parliament with the blessings of Gayyoom. Don Adam Fulhu is the brother-in-law of Chief of Staff Mohamed Zahir (22) and is known to be a puppet of Gayyoom.

In the upcoming Special Majlis session on 12^th October, Gayyoom's brother Abdulla Hameed is expected to be elected by 'show of hands' as the Speaker of the Special Majlis (Consitutional Assembly). This is against the constitution as far as most reformists concerned because the election must be conducted by a secret ballot. Giving a car to each Members of the Parliament is nothing but a bribery attempt to buy them out and support the already 'drafted constitution', in which Gayyoom will be able to appoint a Prime Minister with limited terms. The amended constitution will also allow women to run for Presidency and there will be no limited terms for Presidency. Gayyoom is spinning things well but is able to use his media to his maximum advantage. One of Gayyoom's twin daughters is expected become the President after his demise. Gayyoom lives in a dreamland like Haafiz Al-Assad of Syria and other heroes of his. He is a thoroughbred dictator.

At this moment, we call upon the people who drafted the last constitution to come forward and testify the unconstitutional activities during the last amendment process and in fact of the printing. Former members of the special majlis say that the final print out of the constitution is not the one they agreed. It should not come to us as a surprise if the new constitution has already been printed, with the amendments.

The Constitutional Assembly is to be re-convened without 12 elected members, representing the largest constituencies like Male'. Members currently in solitary confinement are listed below. These honourable members are being defamed and held in solitary confinement by Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom against the law. Gayyoom knows for a fact that with these members in the assembly, he is doomed to fail in controlling the wealth of the Maldives and that these members are a formidable threat to his tyranny.

maleahmedathif

Ahmed Athif

alifdhaalqasimibrahim

Qasim Ibrahim

alifdhaalilyasibrahim

Ilyas H Ibrahim

Dr. Mohamed Munavvar

maleibrahimismail

Ibrahim Ismail

kaafuatollibrahishareef

Ibrahim Shareef

meemuahmedshafeeq

Ahmed Shafeeq

thaahusseinrasheed

Dr. Hussain Rasheed

Ibrahim H Zaki

laamumohamednaseem

Mohamed Naseem

baaalifaiz

Ali Faiz

haadhaalahmedadhil

Ahmed Adil,

What Gayyoom wants to do is to convene 3 meetings of the Special Majlis without reformist MPs, who will then automatically loose their seats according to the rules or procedure. These honourable members walked out of the 1^st session of the Special Majlis on 19^th July 2004 in protest when then Speaker Abdulla Hameed attempted to undermine the constitution of the Maldives. Hon. Qasim Ibrahim was the reformers's candidate for the seat of Speaker of the Special Majlis. Gayyoom knew that he could not conduct his illicit operations with more than 24 MPs with an opinion about things, with a mind of their own. This is the only reason why Gayyoom is continuing with the detention of these honourable members.

This is Gayyoom's barbaric democracy. But, history will not only witness his fall but will engrave his name as a cunning, brutal and cruel murderer, who killed his own people in the name of democracy. And, like other dictators, Saddam, Suharto, Milosevic, Marcos, when Gayyoom falls, it will be the day democracy will be born in the Maldives.

They say 'when democracy comes, it comes with a bang!'